National Defence  Mr. Speaker, in 2017, the government released its defence policy “Strong, Secure, Engaged”. Since then, the world has fundamentally changed. Russia has attacked Ukraine, the Arctic is more accessible to foreign actors and the international rules that have kept us safe for over 75

Greek Independence Day  Mr. Speaker, on March 25, Greeks around the world will celebrate Greek Independence Day to honour the women and men who fought with courage, pride and determination for the freedom of their people, for future generations of Greeks and for a liberated Greece. On March 25, 1821,

Pink Shirt Day  Mr. Speaker, today is Pink Shirt Day. In Canada, this day is devoted to raising awareness against bullying in schools, in workplaces, at home and online. People may be wondering how Pink Shirt Day came to be. It all started in a small town in Nova Scotia when two teenagers saw

Mental Health  Mr. Speaker, today I rise to speak about perinatal mental health. The perinatal period begins at conception and ends a year after childbirth. Twenty per cent of women will experience depression during this period. Children of perinatally depressed mothers are at increased risk of

Aerospace Industry  Mr. Speaker, as a member of the parliamentary aerospace caucus, I was delighted to participate in this week's events organized by the Aerospace Industries Association of Canada. Canada's aerospace industry is an asset for our economy, our workforce and our overall growth. Could

Health  Mr. Speaker, every day, approximately 12 people die by suicide in Canada. Each life lost by suicide can have far-reaching effects, whether it is families grappling with the loss of a loved one or the effects that are felt within communities. Last week, I was disappointed to see t

National Framework for a School Food Program Act  Madam Speaker, I am thrilled to have the opportunity to rise to speak in support of Bill C-322, an act to develop a national framework to establish a school food program. It is quite similar to a bill I put forward in 2021, an act to develop a national strategy on school food se

Gender-Based Violence  Mr. Speaker, today is day three of the 16 days of activism against gender-based violence. I want to take this opportunity to talk about this issue, which continues to plague us. In 2022, 184 women were brutally killed in Canada, mainly by men. In other words, one woman or girl is

Oxi Day  Mr. Speaker, on October 28, Greeks from across Canada and around the world will be celebrating the famous Oxi Day. Oxi is the Greek word for “no”. The Greek prime minister, Ioannis Metaxas, gave that as an answer to an ultimatum from Benito Mussolini on October 28, 1940, when h

Action Centre  Mr. Speaker, last week, I visited an amazing new organization in my community. The work it is doing to meet the needs of Canada's most vulnerable population is incredible. The Action Centre is addressing a serious shortcoming in our society that definitely deserves more attentio

Sexual and Reproductive Health  Mr. Speaker, as someone who strongly supports women's rights, including a woman's right to choose, I was thrilled that our government invested $4.1 million to support organizations that help women receive reproductive health services, and that budget 2023 has carved out $36 milli

Autism Month  Madam Speaker, April is Autism Month and I am rising at the end of this month to speak on behalf of Canadians on the autism spectrum because this community wants to be heard and deserves to be heard. Before I became an MP, I was a teacher. Before that, I was a special education

Petitions  Mr. Speaker, I rise to present petition e-4350, a petition to the Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship. On February 6, 2023, a 7.8-magnitude earthquake was recorded in Turkey and Northern Syria. Over 50,000 are dead and hundreds of thousands injured or left without s

International Trade  Mr. Speaker, the Canada-Chile trade agreement was modernized over five years ago, and the two countries have had diplomatic relations for over 80 years. Canada is the largest investor in Chile, and developing this relationship could prove crucial, particularly in the areas of cle

Greek Independence Day  Mr. Speaker, on March 25, Greeks across Canada and around the world will celebrate Greek Independence Day. It is the day that marks the beginning of the Greek War of Independence, the start of the revolution which would allow the people of Greece to regain their freedom after 400